Turtle Times
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Vol. 15, No. 1, April 06, ‘10 7260 NW 58th St., Johnston 50131 278-4522 (577-9208)
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America of the future will be all malls connected by interstates. All because your parents no longer can their own tomatoes.
--Garrison Keillor, 1998
The Fifteenth Season of Turtle Farm . . . from Angela
There is no greater job than getting to dream up a garden and see it come into fruition. It is not unlike birthing a baby. None are ever the same. Each has distinct personalities. And if I could, I would insist that each of you come be a part of this joint creation, so that you could feel the connection to the earth in the most personal way that I and the farm crew get to experience on a daily basis. But short of that unrealistic goal, I hope through these newsletters, through visits to the farm when you can, through email or phone conversations, through biting into the delights of the harvest, you feel a connection to the farm and its farmers. You are a bit like surrogate parents you know. You have helped seed part of the energy of this partnership. It is the farmers’ goal to grow the healthiest, tastiest, freshest, widest variety of food for you that we can, to introduce you to new veggies or ways of using them, to educate you to the cycles and intricacies of nature. We don’t guarantee that it will be easy or that there will not be bumps along the way. Just buckle your seat belt and get ready for the ride, or should I say feast!
Peas, spinach and turnips are in the ground. We plan to begin the regular season mid-May Tuesday the 18th and Friday the 21st. If crops should be ready a week earlier, we will contact you. There will be early asparagus deliveries at some of the sites with email notices for those who can make it since that crop shows up starting in April. Nettles, a traditional spring tonic, will soon be emerging and available free to anyone interested in coming out to pick them. Call to check on their whereabouts and bring gloves.
Welcome from Ben
Welcome back (and Welcome New Members) to another season at Turtle Farm. My name is Ben Saunders and I will be your farm manager for this adventure of eating with the seasons. This is my fourth season at Turtle Farm and previous to that I completed a BS in Horticulture with a fruit and veggie emphasis from ISU.
I have never seen a more vibrant color green as that in the spring when plants start peeking up from the ground. Well, actually I take that back. I am lucky enough to begin to see it in the early part of March when your onion seedlings begin emerging in the greenhouse. After the onions the greenhouse begins to look like a veggie farm seen from the sky with little kohlrabi, cabbages, broccolis and lettuces emerging reaching for the sun. Finally the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are starting to emerge, signaling another delicious season soon to come.
Every season I have been at the farm (and I’m sure it is the same for Angela) it is truly an adventure. Out of curiosity, I counted how many different varieties of crops we grow. Over 120 varieties just in transplants! That doesn’t count crops that we direct seed or the perennial crops like strawberries, raspberries and asparagus. To be able to look down the tomato patch and see over 15 varieties of tomatoes, at least to me is part of what this adventure is about.
So, welcome to the beginning of another adventure of seasonal eating at Turtle Farm. Be sure you keep your eyes peeled for the newsletters for info on gatherings we will have throughout the season at the farm. I look forward to seeing many familiar faces and meeting new ones throughout the season!
Orientation Meeting for New Members
This year’s orientation meeting is April 20 at 6:30 pm at Plymouth Congregational Church, 4126 Ingersoll Ave. (parking off Ingersoll on the east side of the church), Room Waveland One. We will cover the nuts and bolts of how Turtle Farm works, answer your questions, and show you how to keep your boxes and food in good shape. There will be food samples to eat and tips for veggies that you may not have cooked with before. There will be some Asparagus to Zucchini cookbooks for sale. Please RSVP so that we can plan for numbers, but if you forget, don’t let that keep you from coming (email angela@turtle-farm or call 278-4522).
Potato Planting Day Set
We will have potato planting for those interested in visiting the farm and getting their fingers in the soil (weather permitting) on Saturday April 17 noon until they are all planted. This is an activity that the children are especially good at. We will have a light lunch available. And while you’re there, you can check out the vegetable transplant sale (see below).
Farm Stand Vegetable Transplants
Turtle Farm will have transplants available again for purchase this season. The farm stand will be open Saturday April 17, 24, and Saturdays in May, 9-12 a.m. or other times by appointment for these sales. I’m attaching a list of the veggies, herbs, and fruit available. The strawberry bare root plants offered are day-neutral strawberries (not organic) that will produce in this season and Junebearing strawberries (not organic) that will yield June of next year. All the veggie and herb transplants are organic. You can send your orders to reserve your choices ahead if you want (angela@turtle-farm.com).
Links of interest:
A showing of Food, Inc. on public television. Check your local listings: http://www.pbs.org/pov/tvschedule (sent in by Sandy Grace)
http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_barber_how_i_fell_in_love_with_a_fish.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_oliver.html (sent in by Donald Bustell)